Pilot, gunner of US fighter jet eject over Iran. One rescued, hunt on for the other
A pilot and a weapons systems officer of a US F-15E fighter jet that was shot down by the IRGC ejected over Iran. While one of them has been rescued, reports on the other differ. Some say that the American is in Iran's custody, with others reporting that a hunt is on.
Two crew members of a US F-15E shot down by the IRGC on Friday had ejected over Iranian territory. One of the two has since been rescued, according to US and Israeli officials. However, accounts regarding the second crew member vary, with some media reports claiming he is in Iranian custody while others suggest that search efforts are still underway.
US forces launched a search-and-rescue operation before Iran could reach any "survivors", reported The New York Times, citing American and Israeli officials. Sources also told American news website Axios that the aircraft had a two-person crew.
The F15-E has two crew members, including the pilot in the front seat, and a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) in the back seat.
According Israel's Channel 12, citing a Western source, one of the two American crewmembers onboard the downed F-15E Strike Eagle has been rescued and evacuated from southern Iran.
US President Trump has been briefed on the downing of an American fighter jet, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN, as search and rescue efforts continue for the aircraft's crew, a pilot and weapons officer.
Iran's Tasnim News Agency and several open-source intelligence handles had earlier reported that at least one American pilot ejected after the jet was shot down over southern Iran.
The fighter jet was reportedly downed by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Friday.
The news agency also reported that there are indications the US forces attempted to extract them from Iranian territory in a combat-search-and-rescue operation.
However, some sources told Tasnim News Agency that at least one pilot has likely been captured by Iranian forces.
The IRGC announced on Friday morning that a second F-35 fighter jet was destroyed in the skies of central Iran by the new advanced defence system of the IRGC Aerospace Force. It said the doomed fighter jet belonged to the Lakenheath squadron.
On March 19, Iranian forces claimed that they shot down the first-ever F-35 jet.
The IRGC noted that the intruding F-35 fighter jet that was shot down on Friday was completely destroyed and has crashed, and its pilot likely did not eject.
IRANIAN GOVERNOR, MEDIA URGED LOCALS TO HUNT DOWN THE US PILOT, GET REWARDED
An Iranian state media affiliate channel has urged that citizens in the area should help hunt the pilot down.
A report by news agency Reuters said that the governor of Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province has announced that whoever captures or kills crew of downed US jet "will be specially commended by the governorate".
A local TV channel in Iran's Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province urged citizens who see Americans to "shoot them as soon as you see them". Then they changed the instructions, and the news anchor announced, "Anyone who captures the enemy pilot alive and hands them over to the police will be rewarded with a valuable prize."
The Iranian channel also showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement, reported news agency AP.
The province of Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad is located roughly 500 km (310 miles) south-west of Tehran, and spans over 15,500 square km.
In the aftermath of the jet being downed, Iranian state media also shared images of what appeared to be American aircraft — helicopters, planes, and drones — flying over the area in what appeared to be a combat search-and-rescue operation.
FOUR US PLANES ALREADY DOWNED IN IRAN WAR
Four US military aircraft were lost during the Iran conflict before Friday’s search-and-rescue operation, including three fighter jets struck by friendly fire and a refuelling tanker that crashed in Iraq, the Associated Press reported.
A KC-135 Stratotanker went down in Iraq while supporting operations linked to Iran, killing all six crew members on board. US officials said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” adding that the second aircraft landed safely.
In a separate incident, three F-15E Strike Eagle jets were mistakenly targeted by Kuwaiti forces. All six crew members ejected safely, according to the Associated Press.